Thai Basil Beef is a perfect weeknight dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes and you only need one pan (wok or a skillet)! This easy and budget-friendly dinner combines ground beef together with lots of veggies and is cheaper, faster, and tastier than a take-out! Enjoy lots of fresh ingredients in this recipe: bell peppers, spinach, and basil. Serve Thai basil beef with brown rice, ramen noodles, or quinoa. Or, keep it low-carb by serving it as is or with lettuce wraps.
Toast cashews on the parchment paper lined baking sheet in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes.
Make Thai-inspired sauce
Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir well to combine.
Cook veggies and beef
Use a wok or a large, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sliced bell peppers on medium-hot heat. Cook until just softened, about 5 minutes. Remove them from the skillet.
Add ground beef and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same, now empty, skillet, and cook, crumbling it until completely cooked through, occasionally stirring. Drain any liquid and fat.
Add spinach to the skillet and cook until it wilts on medium heat.
Assembly
Add cooked bell peppers back to the skillet.
Add the sauce and fresh basil. Reserve some fresh basil for garnish. Reheat on medium heat until the basil is just wilted.
Stir in toasted cashews.
Season with salt and pepper, if desired, or simply add 1 more tablespoon of tamari sauce or more.
When serving, top with fresh basil.
Notes
Substitute for red chili paste. I used red chili paste (Thai Kitchen brand). If you can't find it, you can use Sambal Oelek, Sriracha sauce, or red curry paste.
How to make this recipe gluten-free
Use tamari sauce labeled as gluten-free or soy sauce labeled as gluten-free.
Rice vinegar is usually gluten-free (check the labels!), but just in case you can use apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar instead.
I used red chili paste (Thai Kitchen brand). You can also use Sriracha sauce, red curry paste, or Sambal Oelek instead. All these are usually gluten-free, but always check the labels!